Regulated wagering games are common throughout the world. Typical examples are various games offered by state lotteries. Those games, which are offered on a large scale, are operated using centralized transaction processing systems to collect and/or redeem wagers. Most state lotteries and similar entities operate their own central host computing system, or have it operated by a contractor such as IGT, for example. The host computing systems are typically located within the jurisdiction of the lottery provider. The state lotteries also deploy their own client equipment to operate various channels for delivering games to player customers, such as agent-operated lottery game sales terminals, unattended lottery game sales terminals, vending machines, kiosks, electronic access via the Internet from personal computers, mobile phone access, and interactive TV terminal access, for example. They also operate, or have operated on their behalf by a contractor, their own customized administration computing systems, such as accounting, reporting, fraud control, loyalty programs, second chance games and prize redemption systems, for example.
Lottery ticket games are known and are provided in different formats, including instant-win type games and online or drawing-based games. With an instant ticket game, a player typically scratches one or more places on a ticket to determine if he or she is a winner. With drawing-based games, a player typically selects several numbers from a pool of numbers, and a lottery drawing of numbers (such as from a bin of ping pong balls, for example) is conducted later to determine whether there are any winners. Lottery tickets can be physical tickets purchased at retailers or virtual tickets purchased and played online.
In various embodiments of the present invention, a physical game card or sheet is printed as a connected collection of individual ticket games, wherein individual tickets are connected to other individual tickets along one or more edges, and with at least one playable game on each individual ticket. In various embodiments, the games can be instant win games with game indicia and one or more layers of varnish or rubber-based material that is removable to reveal the indicia. In some embodiments, each ticket on the game card or sheet can be printed so as to include individual validation and activation indicia. In other embodiments, all of the tickets contained in a given package or set can be activated once received by the retailer/distributor, such as by the retailer opening the packages and scanning a single activation code found somewhere within the package, whether on a box, inside the box, on an invoice or loose item within the box, or on the ticket packaging itself. In still other embodiments, the entire game card or sheet can be printed so as to include game or sheet activation indicia, such that when the entire sheet is sold, the entirety of individual game tickets can be activated simultaneously. When the individual game ticket validation codes are read, embodiments of the present invention can operate to individually assess whether the ticket is a winner, as well as whether the ticket has previously been redeemed. Individual tickets joined as part of a set can be independently and individually validated, such that if only a subset of the tickets in any given ticket set includes winning tickets, then only those winning tickets require validation before winnings can be paid.
One implementation of a method in accordance with embodiments of the present invention comprises printing indicia on a game card or sheet, wherein the indicia represent multiple game tickets sharing common edges, printing at least one removable layer on the card so as to cover at least a portion of the printed indicia, printing individual game validation indicia or codes on multiple areas of the game card or sheet corresponding to the multiple individual tickets or games, and forming a perforation on the game card or sheet along one or more of the common ticket edges to permit manual separation of individual game tickets from the game card or sheet. A global activation indicia or code can also be printed, and can extend across multiple tickets and one or more perforations or can be printed on an article separate from the tickets, in various embodiments.
In various aspects, the present invention provides a ticket set/package, system and method whereby tickets can be mass produced, connected but separable via perforation at more than one edge, and coded for particular activation and validation protocols as desired.
In various embodiments of the present invention, a game card or sheet is printed as a connected collection of individual ticket games, wherein individual tickets are connected to other individual tickets along one or more edges, and with at least one playable game on each individual ticket. In various embodiments, the games can be instant win games with game indicia and one or more layers of varnish or rubber-based material that is removable to reveal the indicia. In some embodiments, each ticket on the game card or sheet can be printed so as to include individual validation indicia. Further, the entire game card or sheet can be printed so as to include a single game or sheet activation indicia, such that when the entire sheet is sold, the entirety of individual game tickets can be activated simultaneously. When the individual game ticket validation codes are read, embodiments of the present invention can operate to individually assess whether the ticket is a winner, as well as whether the ticket has previously been redeemed.
The detachability of the tickets can be provided such as through perforation, scoring or other method of structural weakening that permits the tickets to be manually separated from one another.